A Shoe Story
by J3D13
Summary: Jasper is in a pinch over his newly acquired footwear. Can his brothers help him get out of trouble, or will he be forced to tell his parents the truth? Circa 1963. Warning: Spanking. Don't like, don't read.
1. Up in a Tree

** WARNING: The following story will contain discipline in the form of spanking of one (or more) teenage vampires. If this bothers you at all, please abandon the story now. I will provide an additional author's note for the chapter that contains the spanking. That is all.**

Up in a Tree (Carlisle)

I got home from work an hour early today. After finishing my house calls, I decided to forgo paperwork and spend some time relaxing instead. I parked my El Dorado on the edge of the property so that I could walk through the woods and stretch my muscles. It was a perfectly nice overcast day in late August. Perhaps, I thought, the boys could be convinced to join me outside for a game football before the rain came in.

As I neared my home, my sensitive hearing picked up on something familiar. I looked up towards the rustling leaves and caught the scent of one of my children. Our family has ran, climbed and explored every inch of these woods, so at times it was hard discern a new scent from one left an hour or even a day ago. Or perhaps my sense of smell was deteriorating in my old age. Either way, when a blonde head poked out from the foliage a moment later and I was relieved that I hadn't completely lost my touch.

"Hi, Pa," the boy called down softly.

"Hello, Tex." I watched the boy's antics with an amused countenance. "Spot any good prey from up there?"

"I'm not hunting," Jasper looked around carefully before continuing in a hushed tone. "'M hiding."

Before I could ask what he was hiding from my question was answered. My wide suddenly appeared in the clearing where I stood, eyes narrowed in frustration. I gave a surreptitious glance at the tree tops and found that my son had disappeared again.

"Where is that boy?" She demanded of me.

I don't know how she figured out I was guilty so quickly. I'd just arrived home from work. What was the likelihood that I'd become an accomplice to Jasper's crime in under two minutes?

"Whatever is the matter, love?" I asked, carefully avoiding her own question.

"We have an appointment for a shoe fitting downtown in less than half an hour and _your son_ has decided to go missing." She gestured her hands up towards the heavens in a helpless sort of way and I couldn't help but sympathize with her situation.

Jasper and Alice both came to us with bare feet some 12 years ago, but while Alice had taken to shoes (and all other accessories) like a duck to water, Jasper routinely fought against having his feet constricted in any fashion. First having spent 18 years a southern farm boy and the last century or so in combat, he never saw a use for footwear.

It didn't matter much in our first few years as a family because Jasper spent the majority of his time in our home or the woods surrounding it. But now that he had been deemed in enough control of his blood lust to attend school next week, something was going to have to give. Esme saw it as her duty to turn Jasper into a respectful, shoe-wearing citizen. I saw it as my duty to make sure my wife remained happy at all times.

"Jasper," I sighed, looking up. "Come on down, son."

"Aw, Pa!" The leaves whispered furiously as Jasper reappeared amongst the branches. "You gave away my hidin' spot!"

"You're going to get another type of hiding, young man, if you don't mind me," Esme answered back.

Jasper slid down the tree trunk like one would a fireman's pole and landed on his feet beside the two of us. "Shoot," he kicked at the ground, sending a small rock flying into some nearby bushes. "I hate shoe shopping."

I turned away to smother my smile.

"Well, you're just going to have to try and make the most of it," Esme told him. "You'll need a pair for school and church. Don't think I don't know what happened to the last pair. Now let's get going."

Jasper turned towards me, his eyes pleading. I felt sorry for the boy and almost started to plea with his mother on his behalf when I realized that the compulsion was most likely due to Jasper's influence.

"Go with your mother, boy," I said, nodding towards the house.

I watched as my wife grabbed hold of Jasper's collar and started hauling him towards the house. Although Jasper wouldn't dare fight her, it didn't stop him from complaining.

"I hate shoes. They're hot. They pinch my toes…"

"Your father wears them," Esme argued as I trailed behind the pair.

"Pa's _citified_," Jasper said the last word as if he were describing a puss filled boil.

"I enjoy being citified, thank you very much." I responded with a laugh.

As soon as we reached the house, Esme released him. "Go upstairs, get a pair of Edward's old shoes and come right back down, mister. We're running late."

"Yes ma'am," he muttered and thundered up the steps. It became apparent after two minutes, however, that Jasper wasn't planning on coming down on his own volition.

"That's it! I'm going up to get him, "Esme declared, pushing one sleeve of her sweater up to her right elbow.

"Let me handle it, dear." I stopped her. "Why don't you call Mr. Anderson and let him know that you're going to be a tad late."

I headed up the stairs while Esme stormed off in the opposite direction. Before I could knock on his bedroom door it swung open, Alice's cheeky grin on the other side.

"Hi, Daddy. How was work?"

"Just fine, Ace." I kissed her on the cheek. "Do you mind if I talk to Tex alone for a moment?"

"Sure, Dad. I keep trying to tell him that shoes are a beautiful thing. Maybe you can talk some sense it to him." She stuck her tongue out at her mate then breezed out the door.

Jasper eyed me from where he sat on the bed, and I could feel the nervous energy in the room. I supposed Jasper thought I might spank him for his behavior. However, I knew on most occasions Jasper could be reasoned with, and thought it better to try and make him see sense with my words rather than my hand. God knows I just barely managed to spare him from the wrath of Esme.

I knew Jasper, like the rest of my children, was bound to test boundaries in the confines of a safe and loving home. And secretly I found all this commotion about shoes amusing.

I sat down at the other end of the bed. "Scoot closer, Tex."

The boy did until we were about a foot apart.

"I'm surprised at you, Jasper. It's not like you to be so stubborn over such a small thing."

Jasper almost shrugged his shoulders, but caught himself. He knew how I felt about that.

"I just don't see the point in wearing 'em," he explained. "They don't make me a better runner or hunter. All they do is slow me down."

"I understand that, son, but I can't very well send you to school without shoes on," I pointed out. "Especially when the seasons change. How would we explain your bare feet in the winter?"

"Snow don't hurt my feet none," Jasper murmured, staring at the bedspread.

"But what sort of impression would I be giving as head of the family, if all of my children have protection from the cold except for one?"

"Like…like, you don't care about me. Or can't take care of your own," Jasper's eyes met mine before dropping back to the covers.

"Exactly. It would draw unnecessary attention, son, and you know we can't have that."

"Yes, sir." The boy answered. "I guess I understand that. But why do I have to go shopping? Esme bought me the last pair without my having to be there."

"I think your mother is hoping that if you help purchase the shoes yourself you'll be less inclined to lose or ruin them," I looked at him pointedly.

"I didn't lose the last pair, Pa," Jasper argued.

"No, you had Emmett throw them in the stream out back." Jasper's guilty face was all confirmation I needed. "Next time, make sure the person you bribe can't be out- bought," I advised him.

Jasper gave me sheepish smile.

"It's not funny, Jasper," I told him, fighting down my own grin.

"Sorry, Pa," Jasper mumbled.

"You should apologize to your mother. She's the one that goes through all the trouble of buying shoes she thinks you'll like."

I gave him a firm pat on the knee. "Here's what we're going to do. You are going to go shopping with Esme for new shoes. Which I promise will be the most comfortable shoes the two of you can find."

Jasper groaned.

I held up my hand. "I'm not finished. Furthermore, you will wear these shoes unless hunting or at home. You need to break them in in order for them to be comfortable enough for you to wear to school. Unless of course, you've decided you don't want attend high school with Alice after all."

"Of course I do," Jasper piped up. "I want to go."

"So I shouldn't hear any more complaints about footwear?" I asked. "And your shoes will remain intact?

"Yes, sir. That's a promise." He stood up.

I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I mean it, Tex. This habit of getting rid of your shoes as soon as Mother gives them to you is going to stop. This isn't a game anymore. If I find out you've done it again, you'll be in serious trouble with me. Is that clear?"

"Yessir, clear as crystal," the Texas native answered.

"Go on then. And behave." I sent him off with a light swat to his backside.

I sighed, hoping that was last I'd have to deal with about shoes. On the surface Jasper was a docile southern gentleman, but underneath he could be as stubborn and sneaky as a newborn.


	2. Into the Woods

A/N: In case it might be confusing, the parenthesis in the titles tell you who's narrating the chapter.

Into the Woods (Jasper)

I tightened the belt holding my books together then ran to catch up to my brothers. Or at least I tried to. Even after a week of wearing shoes I still wasn't used to the darn things.

Esme had me try on 23 pairs before 'we' decided on the ones I was currently wearing, but it still didn't make any difference. I wasn't used to having my feet restricted, unable to feel the cool earth beneath me as I walked. It didn't help that this was also the first week I'd been in close proximity to humans since Alice and I became Cullens. It has hard enough having to refrain from biting the neck of my science partner, but to have to slip my feet into leather traps for 8 hours a day? Maria ordered kinder tortures.

Emmett and Edward stopped and waited for me, matching grins on their faces. To the rest of the student body it may have looked like I was walking just fine, but to their keen eyes I was about as uncoordinated as a newborn calf.

It was easy for them to laugh, they'd spent their whole lives wearing shoes like trained monkeys. There was a time when I wore boots in the Texas Calvary but that was a drop in the bucket compared to my hundred odd years of living.

Scowling, I hobbled towards them.

Edward patted me on the shoulder once I got close enough. "You'll get used to them," he said.

"Yeah, you're actually becoming civilized, Jasper," Emmet joined in. "Maybe next week you'll start washing your hair and wiping your nose."

I rolled my eyes as he and Edward laughed. "Funny. I'd like to see you try and walk around in these things."

"But we do. Every day." Emmett did a little jig in his loafers. "See? It's easy. That is, unless you've spent the last century playing Neanderthal in the woods."

"Dry up," I replied.

Emmett smiled wider. "I'm just sayin', who knew the great Jasper Whitlock was a klutz?"

I growled lowly.

"Cool it, morons, before someone hears you, "Edward interrupted. "C'mon. Let's get out of here. We're still way too close to the school for my taste."

"Rose has the car keys," Emmett protested.

"So, we'll walk." Edward shot me a sly look. "If we're capable."

Ignoring the jibe, I looked back at the school yard. Alice was staying after to help decorate for an upcoming recital. I was planning to wait for her but the smell of humans was starting to make my throat burn. I had managed to keep control of myself for 5 days and I didn't want things to change now.

"'Cmon," Emmett prodded me. "Rose will stay with her. Besides, we don't want to waste a day like this. Let's get going."

He was right. This morning the sky was clear so we had to come early and hurry into the school before the sun fully rose. Fortunately for us, the air became humid and dark clouds accumulated over the last hour or so, as Alice had predicted. It was perfect weather for a vampire to take his time getting home and horse around in the woods without having to worry about being seen. There was no reason to spend more time indoors than necessary.

"Let's go, Jasper." My brothers were already several feet ahead of me. "Keep up."

Swallowing down my irritation, I paused to scratch at my ankle before walking forward. "I would if these darn shoes would stop… itching."

The walk home was really uncomfortable. Not just because my shoes pinched, squeezed and smothered me but because Emmett and Edward poked fun the entire way. They said it was taking them twice as long as it normally did to make the trip. I told them they could go along without me, but I could feel they were both getting a kick out of watching me stumble along.

I shuffled behind them, nearly losing my footing twice before realizing that my laces were untied. My brothers thought it was all hilarious.

Finally, we reached the woods that marked the edge of the Cullen property.

"So what do ya'll want to do now?" I asked.

Edward looked up at the clouds. "We could hunt – before the rain comes in."

"Nah," Emmett blew a raspberry. "We already did that this morning."

I shrugged. I was usually agreeable to a hunt, but this morning I nearly lost us the heard, tripping over myself in the woods. I really wasn't in a hurry to try again. "Baseball, maybe?"

A roll of thunder sounded overhead and Emmett's eyes gleamed with a sudden idea. Behind him, Edward's lips quirked upward.

They were both feeling mischievous and I looked at Emmett suspiciously. Whatever they had in mind, it wasn't sports.

"I know what we'll play." Emmett sing-songed.

That was all the notice he gave before turning quickly and smacking me square in the forehead. I stumbled backwards.

Before I could even think to retaliate he and Edward dashed into the woods, laughing.

"Tag, you're it! Catch us if you can, country boy!"

I raced after them. Without shoes I was faster than Emmett and nearly as fast as Edward. Today it was all I could do to keep my leather soles from skidding on fallen leaves or my shoe laces from snagging on a stray branch. I felt like a duck out of water and they both knew it too. I was yards behind my siblings, who winded through the forest with ease, doubling back only to taunt me.

"-You're going to have to move faster than that, Jasper!"

"- Aw, give him a break. He's a Klutz. He's got two left feet, Edward!"

Emmett leapt into a tree, latching onto the wood and scurrying up. Determined, I tried to follow him. I was accustomed to gripping at the bark with my toes for leverage. These shoes didn't give me any traction at all. My feet slipped against the trunk and I feel onto the dirt on my hands and knees. My brothers' laughter rang through clearing and thunder cracked overhead.

"It's not funny," I seethed, brushing off my pants. I stared down at my shoes, which were now scuffed badly at the toe. Carlisle and Esme would probably think I'd done it on purpose.

"Take it easy, man," Emmett commented from a hanging branch. "It's only a game. Not our fault you can't run like a real person."

"Emmett, the game's over." Edward appeared from behind a tree further down. "Can't you see he's cheesed off? Let's go home. It looks like it's going to pour any minute."

"Aw, the storm's not due for another hour." Emmett argued. "Boy, Jasper. I didn't know you were so sensitive."

I hopped up. I wasn't hurting, and I sure as heck wasn't going to let my pride take a beating either.

"The games not over," I said. "Go on, I'll give you a head start. You'll need it."

"Oh, yeah?"

I spat on the ground. "Yeah."

Emmett looked down at my shoes and back at me. He scoffed. "Suit yourself, slow poke."

They vanished into the woods a moment later. As soon as they were out of sight, I stooped to inspect my shoes once more. What were the odds that Mama would notice the damage?

Neither Carlise or Esme had asked me about my shoes since I'd gotten them. Sure they bombarded me with questions about my day, how I was feeling about school and whether I felt myself losing control of my thirst, but not once had they checked to see if I was living up to my side of the shoe bargain.

I supposed I was safe.

"Oh, Jas-per! Are you going to stand there all day? Don't tell me you forgot how to move your feet too!"

"C'mon, Jasper. I've seen a one legged dog run faster than you!"

Snarling, I flipped off my shoes and socks. My toes immediately dug into the soft earth. I sighed with relief. There was a hollowed log that I spotted not ten feet away. Carefully, I tucked my shoes inside. Then I took off running.

Emmett was my first victim. I felt his shock moments before I slammed into him, sending us both flying out of the trees and onto the ground with a loud crack. We wrestled until I had him pinned, his disbelief puffing me up even more. Emmett was peeved but I was more than satisfied with the outcome.

"No fair," Emmett hollered, arm twisted behind his back. "You cheated."

"Once a Neanderthal, always a Neanderthal," I mocked.

With a grunt he tossed me off of him. I gave him a smug grin and raced off in search of Edward. I pumped my legs as I weaved through both branches and tall grass, jumping from tree to earth to tree again in a matter of seconds.

It took me longer to get my mind-reading brother, but I tripped him up by doing a back flip over his head with just a moment of forethought. Something I wouldn't have been able to pull off had I still been wearing those crummy shoes. Emmett quickly joined the fray, jumping on Edward's back while he was preoccupied with me.

We wrestled until the light drizzle over our heads became fat raindrops and the first steak of lightning appeared in the sky. Then we dashed to the house. Rain pounded against the foyer windows as we shook off our wet jackets.

Esme appeared seconds later with towels, clucking over our appearance.

"I wish you boys wouldn't play outside so close to the start of a storm. You know how dangerous lightening can be, especially in the middle of a forest," She said.

"Aw, Mom," Emmett ducked away as she tried to rub his head dry. "We got inside just in time. See? No burn marks."

"Yes, I see, Em. Now, all of you get out of those wet clothes and leave them in the laundry room to wash. I just mopped this floor." She wrapped a towel around my neck. "Jasper, where are you shoes?"

I froze, my stomach dropping as I looked down at my bare feet.

Oh, no! How could I have left my shoes behind?

"Well," I stuttered. "They're-"

"He already put them away," Edward supplied.

His nervous energy buzzed against my skin, a clear contrast to his calm demeanor.

My eyes darted from him to Esme and back again.

"You didn't put them in the closet, did you?" She asked me. "They'll get musty if you don't let them dry out."

"No, ma'am. I didn't put them in the closet," I answered truthfully. I willed the churning in my stomach to cease and prayed my own nerves weren't giving me away.

"Good boy." She kissed my cheek. "Well, off to the laundry room to change, all of you. Shoo."

We headed that way quickly, shutting the door to the small room behind us with a click.

"Where are they?" Edward whispered.

"Don't tell me you threw them away again," Emmett added, stepping out of his own wet shoes and socks. "We were only foolin' with ya."

"Hush, before she hears you," I hissed. "I didn't get rid of 'em. I just put them somewhere, is all. I meant to go back for them."

"I hope it's somewhere good," Edward chucked his shirt into the clothes hamper. "Or else you're in for it."

I pictured the log I chose for safe keeping in my mind. My new shoes tucked safely inside the thick pine.

"They'll be fine." I said aloud.

"Well, it's not like you can go back and get them now anyway," Emmett put a leg through a fresh pair of pants. "You know how Esme is about thunder storms."

The door knob turned and all three of us jumped when Alice poked her head in the door.

"Geez, Alice," Emmett yelped. "We're changing in here."

I looked into my wife's worried eyes and my stomach plunged yet again. Before I could even think to conjure up any bit of hope, she said the very last words I wanted to hear.

"Oh, Jasper. Why didn't you just keep the shoes on?"


	3. Under the Water

**Under the Water (Alice)**

* * *

"Are you sure this is where you left them?" Emmett asked again.

"Yes." My husband kicked the remains of the empty log aside.

"I told you, the wind probably threw the log against that tree over there," I pointed. "The shoes fell out and then the wind carried them off somewhere."

The storm had been brutal. We could hear the wind howling and branches breaking under the weight of heavy rain all night. When we came outside the next morning our front lawn was covered in debris. Jasper's log didn't fare much better.

"Well, where are they now, Alice?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know." I rubbed my temples, trying to recall every detail that I could. "It's not like the shoes could make a decision on where to land. All I saw was the four of us searching for them."

Carlisle, of course, had left early for work. I distracted Esme this morning with a wardrobe dilemma while Jasper snuck out the door sans shoes. The rest of us  
excused him and then followed as soon as we could. Rose had opted out of helping us. Plausible deniability, she said.

Edward rolled an old, charred tree to the side. "We'll find them. Hopefully the lightning didn't hit them."

"If the lightning didn't the rain sure did," Jasper moaned. "Boy, I'm an idiot."

"Can't argue with that," Emmett replied. "You had to take your shoes off, didn't you?"

I crossed my arms against my chest, fixing my older brother with a look. "Emmett, you were the one who suggested playing that stupid game in the first place."

"Yeah, but I didn't tell him to ditch his shoes in the middle of a thunder storm." Emmett gestured towards the damage.

"Oh, grow up," I snipped.

"- You first, short stuff."

"Hey, let's focus on looking, okay?" Jasper stopped us, turning to me with pleading eyes. "If I don't find these shoes I'm toast."

"You're not the only one." Edward had climbed a tree and was now surveying the ground below. "If Esme finds out I lied to her she'll flip her wig."

"I guess we could split up," I shrugged. "One of us is bound to catch the scent."

"Let's just do this quick-" Emmett was still a little bugged. "We still have to go to school, ya know."

With one last look in my mate's direction, I moved off towards a different part of the forest. I could tell Jasper was trying to curb the worst of his anxiety for my sake but truth be told I was nearly as sensitive to his emotions as he was to mine.

Jasper had been a bundle of nerves ever since I told him about my vision. He knows deep down that we have nothing to fear here but old habits are hard to break, even after 12 years. I want so badly for him to understand that Carlisle and Esme aren't typical coven leaders. I don't remember anyone I can compare them to, but as far as parents go, they're top notch.

"Hey!" My ears plucked Emmett's quiet exclamation from the air. "I found one."

I raced over to the stream where my older brother was squatting, feet from the bank. Jasper and Edward skidded to a halt a few steps in front of me.

Emmett held up his catch. The shoe was soggy and clearly weather beaten.

"Yeesh," Edward commented. "Looks like it went ten rounds with Joe Louis."

"The rain definitely got it." Emmett tossed the shoe to Jasper.

My husband took the shoe in his hands, turning it at different angles as if a new view would magically make it less hideous. "Doesn't look too bad to me. Do you think I can still wear it?"

"…Eventually." I refused to touch the thing. "Maybe I can take my hair dryer to it."

Emmett snorted. "Ain't a big enough hair dryer in the world to make that shoe pretty again. You're gonna be up to your elbows in polish, Clyde. But hey, maybe Esme won't notice."

"Anyone happen to see the other one?" Jasper looked around.

"I think I do." We all turned to Edward, his expression pinched.

I scanned the ground around him but saw nothing but fallen leaves and tree bark. "Where?"

Edward pointed. We all stared at a spot in the stream, muddy and gushing from last night's rain water.

"Oh, crud," Emmett moaned.

Dread fell thick and heavy over me like a warm, damp blanket. "I don't see it, Edward."

"It's right there. Caught under that rock."

"Right where?"

"You mean that thing?" Jasper pointed. "That's a stick, man."

"What stick? Look at the laces floating. That's your shoe, you ding-a-ling."

We were all on our hands and knees at the edge of the bank, necks stretched towards the water.

I saw Jasper move suddenly out of the corner of my eye and threw my hand out to stop him.

"Don't. It will fall apart as soon as you lift it out of the water. No point in jumping in for it now."

Emmett swore, dropping back to rest on his heels. "Dad's going to go ape."

"He might not," I tried, still staring at the drowned footwear. "You didn't mean to ruin them, Jasper."

"Yeah, but he'll think I did. He told me I'd be in big trouble if I ruined another pair of shoes, and now look at them. I can't let him see this." Jasper dropped his head. "Not after I promised."

I worried my bottom lip. I was nervous for Jasper but I was also determined to make him see reason. "He simply can't blame you. Not if you explain the whole story. Surely, he'll understand."

Emmett barked a laugh. "Surely he'll understand? Yeah, Dad was real understandin' when I put my baseball through the living room window a second time."

"He did tell you not to swing in the direction of the house, Emmett." Edward played with the remaining shoe, thinking.

"I know it won't be all that bad."

I screwed up my features, trying to get a vision. I soon realized Jasper wasn't even considering telling our father the truth. It was impossible to see the future of a choice he wasn't planning to make. That stubborn fool.

Jasper caught the expression on my face. "What am I supposed to say?" he asked. "Hi, Pa. My shoes ended up in the stream again but don't worry, I assure you I didn't throw them in there this time!"

"So you plan on hiding them?" I looked at him skeptically. "What good would that do? He's bound to notice sooner or later."

"Especially if you're walking around in bare feet." Emmett added.

My mate was frowning and I cringed as a hundred imaginings popped in my mind.

"What I need to do," Jasper said eventually, "is go downtown and get another pair just like these."

"Yes," Edward agreed. "You can swap them out before Carlisle and Esme get any wiser. Good idea, Jasper."

"Bad idea, Jasper," I argued. Both boys ignored me.

"How much did your old shoes cost?"

"Uh, 25 dollars," Jasper mumbled.

We all winced.

It was no secret that our family was wealthy, but we didn't have cash just lying around. Most of the money we'd accumulated was under Carlisle's name in the banks, invested or tied up in trust funds that we were set to inherit from 'dying relatives' at age 21. Carlisle gave us each 7 dollars a week for allowance and we were permitted to ask him for anything we wanted, but I didn't see him handing over an extra twenty dollars without an explanation.

Emmett whistled. "That's not cheap."

"Esme had them tailored to make sure I had extra toe room," Jasper sighed.

"We could pool our money together for them," Edward suggested after a moment. "I have 3 dollars left over from last week."

"I have 9 dollars I've been savin'." Jasper looked hopeful.

"Or," I cut in, "you could just tell Dad what happened, Jasper, and skip the subterfuge."

"I agree with Alice." Emmett stood, hefting his previously abandoned books loosely by the belt strap. "It seems awful wrong to try and trick our parents. I say we let Jasper get killed."

"You just don't want to chip in any money," Edward retorted.

Emmett fixed him with a guileless expression. "What are you talking about? I don't have any money."

"Liar. You have 16 dollars under your mattress."

"Uh Uh. No way. I'm saving that for a transistor radio," Emmett said flatly.

Edward tossed the dry shoe at him. "Fine, Emmett. But I hope you understand that if Jasper and I go down, you're going down with us. Carlisle's going to ask why Jasper took his shoes off in the first place and you what know we're going to tell him."

"Alright, okay!" Emmett chucked the shoe back at Edward's head. "Dirty stinkin' finks. I'll give you the money."

He pointed at Jasper. "You owe me a transistor radio. With interest."

"Fine, Em," Jasper nodded.

I looked around from one male to the other trying to wrap my brain around their stupidity. "Please don't tell me you idiots are actually going through with this plan."

"What's wrong with it?" My mate asked.

"How are you going to get down to the shop in the first place?"

Jasper snapped his fingers. "Easy. Emmett and Edward can go during lunch hour."

"What?" Emmett whined.

Edward nodded. "We can look for Jasper's shoe in the same size and have it tailored. By the time school lets out tomorrow it should be ready."

"And what's Jasper going to do in the mean time?" I asked. "He can't just waltz into school with bare feet."

Jasper looked back in the direction of the house. "I could go back and get Edward's old pair."

Edward shook his head. "Too risky. Esme is bound to ask questions. I say Jasper doesn't go to school at all until we get the new pair."

"Edward, I think you've finally licked the grapes off the wallpaper," Emmett decided. "Do you really think the school's going to let Jasper go missing for two days and not give Esme a ring?"

"Of course not," Edward looked at me. "That's why we need a note."

"Oh, no you don't." I shook my head hard. "There's no way the three of you are dragging me into this. This plan will only end in disaster. Jasper, just confess. I'm telling you, this won't end well."

Jasper turned to me, finally looking worried. "Why? What do you see?"

I was hesitant to answer. I really wanted Jasper to make the right decision for himself.

"She doesn't see anything," Edward spouted.

"Edward!" I stamped my foot.

"All she sees is Emmett and I putting Jasper's shoes in a neighbor's trash can," he continued with a smug grin.

Feelings of ease and confidence settled over the four of us.

"Oh, Jasper," I huffed.

"Darlin', it's fool proof." He smiled at me. "You said so yourself."

"I didn't say that."

"But you didn't see anything going wrong, did you?" Edward countered.

"Alice," Emmett swung a beefy arm around my shoulders. "Let me tell you something about Dad. He's all soft and ooey gooey with you girls, ya dig? The worst he's gonna do to you is hand you over to Esme. With us boys it's a whole 'nother ball game. He told Jasper he'd better not wreck those shoes. And if there's one thing I know about Carlise, it's that he keeps his promises. Now, you don't want to see Jasper get tanned, do you?"

I shook his arm off. "You know I don't."

"Then it's settled then."

"Fine." I looked at the three of them in turn. "Go ahead with your half-baked scheme. I won't say another word about it. But in exchange for my silence I want complete immunity. When you get caught, my name better not come up in the confession."

I hopped up, brushing off my clothes. To think I willingly got dirty for this foolishness. "I'm going to class. Don't bother asking me to write that note, Edward, because I'm not doing it. I want nothing to do with this future train wreck."

I stomped off.

"Don't worry, Sugar. Everything is going to be fine," my mate called after me.

I ignored him and kept walking towards the road. Rose had the right idea after all.

* * *

A/N: A note about allowance in the 1960's. After a few minutes of research I found out that a dollar back then would be about 7 dollars now. I figured 50 dollars a week (7 dollars then) would be a nice allowance for a vampire father to give his children. A decent some of money, but not enough to draw attention. And of course they have their cars and pianos and whatever else they like inside the house.


	4. Around Town

**Up a Creek (Emmett)**

* * *

"What's taking him so long?" Edward asked, craning his neck to see behind the counter.

"Don't you know?" I tilted a display box for work boots and peered inside. "It's a busy time of year. So he's a little backed up."

"No one else is in here. And we came in over a half hour ago. " My brother answered testily. He walked closer to me. "He's been digging through boxes for the last fifteen minutes."

Yesterday morning we dumped the messed up shoes in a trash can not too far from here, just as Alice's vision instructed. That same afternoon Edward lied to his teacher about us going home for lunch and dragged me to this shoe store. Now we were here to pick up the finished product and hopefully be done with this whole mess.

Mr. Anderson went out to lunch at this time, so we didn't have come up with excuses for not mentioning our visit to Carlisle and Esme should they come in. But it also meant we had to deal with this punk clerk who didn't know what he was doing. The guy couldn't have been older than 16 and rang up orders with the speed of a 95-year-old.

I looked down at my watch. We had about twenty minutes to get back to school before lunch hour was over. It was going to be a close call. A lost cause completely if the store clerk didn't come back with Jasper's shoes in the next 5 minutes. I wasn't one to sit and worry though. I left all the fretting to Edwina.

"We might have to call it quits," I decided after a few moments. "We can try again after school."

Edward rolled his eyes at me. "After school will be too late, Emmett."

"What's one more day?" I shrugged. "We wrote Jasper a sick note."

"Ms. Walker is already suspicious," Edward explained. "She's been asking questions about Jasper's illness. I heard her thinking about calling home to check on him. "

"I told you this was a bad idea," I sing-songed.

My little brother pinched the bridge of his nose. "What what did you want me to do? Leave Jasper to get creamed?"

"Yes." Wasn't it obvious?

"That's awful noble of you, Emmett."

"Noble's got nothing to do with it, little brother," I said. "It's called common sense. Think about it: when's the last time we successfully pulled something over on Mom _and_ Dad?"

Edward bit his lip.

"Exactly. We should've taken our lumps from the get-go. Even if by some slim chance we get away scott-free, we will have wasted all our good luck mojo for the entire year. And on Jasper's stupid shoes no less."

My brother shot me a look. "He'd done it for us. And you know it."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Of course I know it. Why do you think I went along with you bozos?"

That was the thing about Jasper. Once he decided he liked you, he was as loyal as a St. Bernard. Oh, sure, we had our run ins when he and Alice first came to live with us. My new little brother was almost as hot-headed as Edward. And all three of us are prone to 'temper tantrums' - Carlisle's words, not mine. But we got over it. Carlisle helped us get over it anyway. And now we get along really well. In his 12 years I've been his brother Jasper hasn't squealed on me once. That's beating Edward's record by miles and miles.

Besides, I knew I was partly to blame or Jasper's shoes getting ruined in the first place. At this point there was no other option than to run damage control and hope for the best.

"They're not going to find out," Edward asserted. I'm wasn't a mind reader or feelings... feeler, but I was positive his thoughts weren't nearly as confident as his words.

"Well, we've already lied to everyone. No going back now." I shrugged, then pounded my fist against the counter as hard as I dared.

"Hey, man!" I shouted. "We're growing old and grey out here!"

"Emmett," Edward hissed.

_Cool it, Clyde. I've got this._

The clerk hurried out from the back room, a shoe box held in his trembling hands. He put it on the counter. "I have your order right here, Mr. Cullen."

"About time, " I said with calm authority. "Pay the man, Eduardo."

Edward shot me a look before passing the bills and coins across the counter.

"Now look," I dialed it down a bit. "We're getting these shoes as a surprise for our father's birthday. Neither he or my mother know about this, so we've got to keep this our little secret, okay?"

"Not a problem." The clerk tried to smile.

I nodded once and then steered Edward and the shoe box out the door.

"You're insane," Edward declared as soon as we were clear.

I gave a smile that always ticks him off. "You know, I could have made a real nice businessman."

"You mean, mob boss, " Edward murmured a few steps behind me.

"You're just jealous of my flare." I continued. "You've got to know how to handle people, Edward. Be assertive. It's all about the timing. Speaking of which, how are we doing? Do you think we'll make it before the bell?"

I got no response, so I turned back to look at my brother. There was no one behind me.

I scanned the street. "Edward?"

"Emmett!"

I froze, my stomach dropping into my shoes.

"Emmett Cullen," the voice said again. I slowly turned around to face Dr. Carter, one of my father's associates, hands crossed against his chest.

Crap on a stick! I should have known this would happen. Adults like Dr. Carter loved to tear a strip off you for doing something wrong, then turn you over to your parents for a second helping. And us Cullen kids stuck out like sore thumbs in this no-name town. You couldn't get away with stepping on the grass when you were the head doctor's son.

"Hi Doc," I tried to play it cool and gave him a small wave. "What are you doing in this neck of the woods?"

The doctor didn't laugh.

"I'm making house calls. Is there a reason you're not in school now, Emmett?" Dr. Carter asked sternly.

I scratched at the back of my head and tried to look innocent. "It's lunch hour, sir."

This was bananas. None of this was my idea and I was still getting clobbered. Of course Edward was nowhere to be found. Stinkin' mind-reading cheat.

" I wasn't aware students had permission to cruise the town during lunch." Dad's friend sounded politely curious but I knew better. "Does your father know about this?"

I considered my options. What could I possibly say to make this better? Hadn't we done enough lying already?

I answered. "Not exactly, sir, but this is a special circumstance." That was as close to the truth as I could get.

Dr. Carter raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm sure your father would be interested in hearing all about this special circumstance. Shall I go fetch him?"

I swear I felt my palms start to sweat. "That's really not necessary, Dr. Carter. Dad's probably busy. I'm on my way back now."

Dr. Carter struggled to stay straight-faced, the jerk. "That sounds like a good idea, Emmett. We wouldn't want you missing any instruction time."

"Yes, sir. I mean, no, sir." I quickly walked to the car door, my only way of escape.

I turned the key and drove off as quickly as I could under the doctor's watchful eye.

My fingers clenched the steering wheel as I sped down the road towards the school. I scanned the trees on either side, watching. Sure enough, as soon as all the other cars were out of sight, my brother leaped from the trees and into the convertible.

"That was a close one," he sighed.

I nearly shoved him out of the passenger's side. "Lot of help you were, " I fumed.

"I didn't have time to warn you," Edward yelped. "I barely made it around the corner. You know we would've been toast if he caught me with the box.'

"Yeah, sure," I brushed him off. "But it's okay if I get _my_ tail kicked, right? He's going to rat on me, isn't me?"

"Yeah, probably," Edward replied. "It's not like Dad's not going to punish you for skipping lunch."

"No, he'll just talk my ear off for two hours about being responsible," I gave him another shove. "Next time I get to run away and _you_ can stand in front of the neighbors looking stupid."

Edward smirked. "C'mon, Em. Don't be sore. These are special circumstances, remember?"

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can't stay mad about little things for very long. Especially when it comes to my siblings. A curse of being the 'oldest', I guess. I could take a talking-to, if meant keeping the real trouble under wraps.

"Aw, shut up," I said. "If I get anything more than a lecture over this I'm gonna wail on your special head."

Edward smiled and shrugged. "We ought to roll these shoes around in dirt or something so they look worn. That'll make it more believable."

I looked through the rear view mirror at the empty road behind us while my brother jabbered on, wondering why it felt like the last drop of our good luck mojo had just been used up.

Were we truly in the clear?


	5. Into the Light of Day

**Into the Light of Day (Carlisle)**

I put my tools back in my work back and straightened up. "Well, it looks like a textbook case of the flu. He'll need medicine, but we caught it early enough that it shouldn't leave any lasting damage."

"Thank you for coming, Dr. Cullen," Mrs. Maher said. "I didn't know what to do when I felt his temperature spike. He'll be alright, won't he?"

"He'll be just fine, and it's no trouble at all. " I looked towards the squirming youth under the covers. "Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, Matthew, if you want to feel better."

"Yes, sir," the little boy rasped.

"Here's his prescription." Mr. Maher took the form and showed it to his wife. "Just tell them Dr. Cullen sent you. Make sure he takes a dose every four hours and call me if his temperature spikes again."

"Will do, Doctor. Thank you."

We shook hands and I left the house soon after, smiling to myself. House calls gave me a chance to stretch my legs and I enjoyed the exercise after a long stint in the office. There were few things I found more satisfying than helping others get well. It was nice to see people's fears alleviated, especially those of concerned parents.

I thought of my own children as I walked to the car. Although they never got sick, my kids still caused me to worry from time to time. Despite their years of experience on this earth, at the heart of things they were still teenagers. I couldn't tell you how many fights I've broken up over the years about whose turn it was to use the radio or ride shotgun. Not to mention the astute detective work necessary for Esme and I to find out who broke what. Yes, our kids were known to get into mischief from time to time.

In fact, Emmett had been caught just two days ago cutting out of school early. I'll be honest, I was anxious when John Carter told me he'd caught my son on main street in the middle of the afternoon. After all, it could take only one nosy neighbor or prying eye to jeopardize the life we built here.

Thankfully, after asking around, I found out my concerns were for naught. Emmett hadn't said or done anything to raise suspicion, other than being out of school on a weekday. Still, there was something embarrassing about a childless man 200 years your junior trying to give you parenting advice.

I knew that Emmett was only 'goofing off' as he put it, but I wanted to avoid unwanted attention at all costs. After a long lecture, he promised me that he wouldn't play hooky again. Fortunately, the rest of my children seemed to be adjusting to the new school year well enough. Jasper, who we'd 'home schooled' up until this year, was proving to be an excellent student and keeping control of his blood lust as well. I'd been checking in with both him and Edward every evening and so far there had been no major incidences.

This day put me in an exceptionally good mood and was I whistling as I reached my car, only to stop suddenly about five feet from it. A familiar but peculiar scent had caught my nose. Frowning, I sniffed the air as discreetly as I could. There it was again. I felt crazy for where my thoughts were taking me, but the sillage was too familiar to mistake.

"Boys?" I called quietly, knowing that if they were around they would hear me.

Nobody came, nobody answered, but I knew I had smelled Edward, Emmett and Jasper's scents somewhere around here. Jasper's was the strongest, which made things even stranger.

I put my work things in the car and tried to reason with myself. The boys had been in town more than once before, I was probably getting a whiff of an old scent. I knew it was hard for me at times to distinguish between old and new smells, especially in places where my family spent a lot of time.

The scent was very strong though. Stronger than what a trip to the shoe store or malt shop weeks ago could cause. I knew Emmett had his 'lunch break' only two days ago. Perhaps the boy had left something of theirs behind on his little excursion. A book or sweater or something like that.

Not able to resist the nagging feeling at the back of my mind, I decided to retrieve the object for him. I knew I'd be annoyed with myself if the mystery item turned out to be an old comic book or something ridiculous like that, but I couldn't help my curiosity.

I walked down the side walk for about five minutes following the scent. It got stronger as I neared one of the nearby cul de sacs. I scratched my head. There was something strange going on here. While Emmett had visited the main street shops during the last few months, he had little reason to wander into the residential areas.

More and more curious, I continued to follow my nose. The trail brought me to the Lawson's front lawn. I was thoroughly confused. The scent was stronger than ever and it was coming from the garbage can on their curb. What of Emmett's (or Edward's or Jasper's) could have possibly found it's way into the Lawson's garbage? And was I crazy enough to look?

I looked up and down the street and at the neighboring windows for nosy onlookers. I could only imagine the gossip that would spring forth from seeing Dr. Carlisle Cullen digging through neighbor's trash cans.

The can was nearly filled to the brim. Sighing deeply to myself, I reached my hand inside and began pulling out trash bags.

About half way down I found the source of the smell. They were what used to be a pair of shoes. Jasper's.

I grimaced as I pulled them out. What on earth?

Setting the trash can to rights, I walked back towards the main street on autopilot. I couldn't stop staring at the same shoes Esme bought just over a week ago. They looked as if they had been drowned, then rolled around in muck for good measure.

Clearly the boy had managed to get rid of them again. His brothers' scents were still clinging to the damp fabric, so they had to have been accomplices. But when could this have happened? I'd seen Jasper on his way to school just this morning and his shoes looked perfectly fine. More than well-kept really, considering how fast our children went through shoes and clothing.

As I thought, pieces of the puzzle started to fit together in my mind, and I didn't like the picture I was getting. Not one bit.

Reaching the car, I threw the shoes in the back and shut the door hard. There was just enough time to finish things up at the work and get home by the time school let out.

My sons had a lot of explaining to do. And if I didn't like the answers, there was going to be some serious trouble.


	6. In the Hot Seat

**In the Hot Seat (Esme)**

I was sitting on the coffee table folding laundry when the front door swung open with a loud bang.

"Esme, I'm home!" My eldest crooned.

"Easy, Emmett," I said as he and his brothers entered the living room. "How was school?"

Edward flopped down on the family arm chair, upsetting piles of clean clothes. "Uneventful."

"Boring!" Emmett interjected. "I was snoring and I can't even sleep."

"Well, it's the start of the weekend now," I added another shirt to the pile. _Edward, get away from my laundry before I kick your kiester._

My youngest zipped to the empty couch. Jasper hung back from the rest of us, watching with a small smile.

I gestured him forward. "Aren't you going to say hello to me, young man?

He came over to where I was sitting and kissed my cheek. "Hi, Mama. How was your day?"

I winked at my southern gentleman. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Before Jasper started school, he used to help me out around the house during the day. He even assisted me with a few clients I had for home decor projects. I was missing that time we spent together.

"Sweetheart, you have to remember to take your shoes off at the front door, " I reminded him, catching sight of his feet. "You'll ruin the carpet."

Jasper fidgeted. "Yes ma'am." Before I could speak further, he hurried out of the room.

I turned to my other sons, silently questioning why their brother was so jumpy.

"We had a history test today, Mother." Edward answered easily from where he was stretched out. "You know first exam jitters."

"I don't," Emmett said. "I'm just glad this week is over. I can't believe Alice and Rose are choosing to stay after for that stupid recital. They aren't even in it!"

"But they want to make it look nice." Jasper returned to the living room and took a spot on the floor by me.

Emmett pointed. "They want to make it look nice? You're such a girl."

I changed the subject before an argument could start.

"What do you three have planned for this weekend? Besides getting _all_ of your homework done." I looked pointedly at my eldest.

Emmett suddenly became interested in the ceiling while Edward answered. "We're going to see _From Russia, With Love _again."

I lost count of the number of times they'd seen that movie. "Aren't you boys sick of it yet?"

"Must have been a pretty sick collection of minds to dream up a plan like that," Emmett quipped.

" Don't make it tougher on yourself, Mr. Bond!" Edward joined in. "My orders are to kill you and deliver the Lektor. How I do it is my business. It'll be slow and painful."

I shook my head at my sons' antics.

"Do you think I could go this time?" Jasper asked, looking at me with hopeful topaz eyes.

"Yeah, Mom, can he?" Emmett begged. "We'll make sure he sucks down some deer juice beforehand."

I thought back to this past week. Jasper had been doing an amazing job with his control at school. I didn't see any reason he couldn't go to town for a movie so long as his brothers were with him. They'd make sure to get him out of the theater if anything went wrong.

"We'll have to discuss it with your father, but I don't see why not," I answered.

Jasper and Emmett whooped. Edward gave me a lazy thumbs up from where he was seated.

Just over all the din I could hear the faint rumbling of Carlisle's car approaching. "There's your father now."

Edward's easy grin slid off his face. It didn't take long to understand why. A few seconds later we could hear Carlisle park in the driveway and the car door slam.

"Hmmm, he's upset about something," I thought out loud.

Jasper and Edward looked at each other and stood up at the same time. I stared at them. Now all three of them looked anxious.

"I'm getting kind of thirsty," Edward said. "Are you up for hunt, Jasper?"

"Yeah," Jasper nodded. "C'mon, Emmett. Let's all go."

Before Emmett could rise to his feet I stopped them.

I may not be able to read minds but I knew guilty faces when I saw them. "Freeze. No one is going anywhere."

All three boys stood stiff as boards as the front door opened.

Carlisle walked into the living room. Without a word he set a pair of wet, filthy boots down on the coffee table beside me.

I recognized the color, the stitching and the scent but I didn't want to believe it.

"Jasper?" I looked to my middle son.

Carlisle turned to face him as well. "Bring me the shoes you wore to school today, son."

Jasper winced. "I-"

"Now."

"Yessir." Our son slipped around his father and out of the room.

Emmett and Edward's eyes were glued to the floor.

I shared a brief look with Carlisle and we mutually decided to stay calm until we got to the bottom of this.

Jasper came back with the second pair, set it down carefully beside the first and took a few steps backward.

"Sit down," Carlisle nodded towards the furniture.

Edward and Emmett made room from their brother on the couch. Tension hung in the air like static before a lightning strike.

I took a deep breath to make sure my voice was measured before speaking. "Boys, I'd like to know what happened to the shoes I just bought."

"I would like to know how Jasper found an identical pair," Carlisle added.

All eyes fell on Jasper, but he only sunk further into the couch cushion.

"Jasper," I prodded.

"I got nothin' to say," the boy murmured, head down.

"Do you want us to guess?" Carlisle's countenance was firm, and he moved closer to the couch to get a good look at our sons. "Because my estimation of the situation is not a good one."

I felt a small rush of annoyance as our son remained stubbornly silent.

" I find it disheartening that would take such little stock in your own word, Jasper," my husband continued, "but reassured I plan to keep the promise _I_ made to you if I don't get some answers soon."

I stared at Jasper, waiting for his reaction, but the boy only hunched his shoulders further and and picked at the fabric of the couch cushion. After 12 years I liked to think I knew a thing or two about my middle son. There was something bothering Jasper and it wasn't being caught in this lie. I silently urged him to speak up. We didn't want to punish our boys without giving them a chance to explain things, but if no answers were forthcoming we wouldn't have much choice.

Edward quickly brought his head up. "Dad, Mother, may I speak?"

I nodded, "Please do."

"Jasper didn't destroy his shoes deliberately. Did he, Emmett?" Our youngest nudged his eldest brother in the side.

"No, he really didn't," Emmett spoke up. "We were fooling around in the woods and Jasper took them off for safe keeping."

"Only he forgot them outside and when the storm hit, they got ruined."

"You mean the storm earlier this week?" I frowned as the story started to come together. "Edward, I asked where Jasper's shoes were that night and you said he'd put them away."

Edward fidgeted. "Yes, ma'am, I know. I'm sorry."

"Edward," I scolded. "You know how I feel about lying."

"You might not want to hear the rest of this story then," Emmett mumbled.

"Is what your brothers have said so far the truth, Jasper?" Carlisle asked.

Jasper kept his eyes aimed at the floor. He shrugged after a moment.

Carlisle bit the inside of his cheek and I could tell he was trying to gather the strength to keep his temper with our middle child.

It wasn't unlike Jasper to clam up when being chastised, but both Carlisle and I had remained relatively calm throughout the entire conversation. His defiance was frustrating.

My mate sat on the arm of the couch by Jasper's side and gripped him gently by the chin. Jasper hissed and tried to pull away but Carlisle held firm. He tilted our son's face up to meet his.

"Do not," Carlisle's voice was in a near whisper, "shrug your shoulders at your mother and I in that disrespectful fashion. Shutting down is not going make this go away, Jasper."

Emmett raised his hand. "This is uncomfortable. Can we go?"

"No," Carlisle and I answered at the same time.

"Sweetheart, you need to tell us what's wrong," I added. "If it was an accident, why didn't you come to us after it happened?"

Our son huffed. "You wouldn't have believed me. You'd have thought I did it on purpose and then I would've gotten in trouble."

"Jasper, you don't know that. You didn't give us a chance to believe you," Carlisle said.

"I do know." Jasper shot out. "You wouldn't have believed me so I fixed things myself and you're still angry with me. "

"We're not angry about the shoes, we're upset because you were being dishonest," I explained. It was all I could do to keep the frustration building inside my chest from boiling over. I couldn't tell the difference between my own anger and what Jasper was projecting.

Jasper steamed. " I told you I didn't want the stupid shoes in the first place! Why do you even let me live here, if you don't like the way I live?"

"That's enough," Carlisle cut in, his voice raised. "I don't know what you plan to accomplish by making us angry, Jasper, but we are not going to argue about this. Go to your room. I'll deal with you once we've both had a chance to calm down."

Jasper stood, fists clenched. He looked up at his father with smoldering eyes.

Carlisle calmly met the glare with a mild look. "Did you think that was a request?" He turned our son and smacked him once across the seat of hs jeans. "Move your feet, young man."

For a second I thought Jasper was going to resist, but the southern soldier only bit out a "yessir" and headed towards the stairs.

We waited for the upstairs bedroom door to slam before anyone spoke.

"Whew," Emmett sighed. "I'm glad that's over. I was getting mad enough to punch everyone here in the schnoz. Where was all that coming from?"

Edward said, "He's real mixed up right now. I couldn't even keep up with his thoughts."

"That's alright, Edward." Carlisle took Jasper's empty seat. "I only meant to put some space between us until he could cool off."

"This last week has meant a lot of adjustments for Jasper," I reasoned. "It would be tough on anyone."

With a new school, schedule and the strain on his control, it was no wonder our son was acting out. Still, tantrums were nothing Carlisle and I couldn't handle. Been there, done that, patched the holes in the wall. Compared to Rosalie's harangues, Jasper was a harmless kitty cat.

Edward snorted.

"That doesn't excuse his behavior," my husband said.

"Of course not, Carlisle. All of our children are responsible for their own actions." I turned to Edward and Emmett. "Speaking of which, just how did Jasper get his new pair of shoes? And does it have anything to do with Emmett's little trip on Wednesday?"

Carlisle nodded. "I have been wondering that myself."

Emmett and Edward gulped.


	7. Through the Fire

**A/N: This chapter contains the butt whoopin'. Read at your own discretion. **

**Through the Fire (Jasper)**

I laid face down in the bed with the pillow pressed over my ears, trying to block out the sound of Carlisle lighting into Edward next door.

The man wasn't holding back and my brother was wailing something awful. Barely holding back a growl, I pounded my fist on the mattress.

I know I didn't have any right to be, but I was bent with Carlisle and Esme. There was a teeny tiny part of me that couldn't stop thinking that this was partly their fault. I told them that shoes weren't for me, but they wanted me to wear them so badly.

I was even angrier with myself. I should've known I couldn't keep that promise. And I had to drag Edward and Emmett into my mess too. What would they think of me now?

I moaned at the guilt bubbling in my stomach. I knew I was projecting my misery, but there wasn't much I could do to stop it.

Next door, Edward started to sob.

Emmett's was already done, so that just left me and I knew why Carlisle left me for last. 'Cause I was going to get it the worst. The smack I got downstairs was just the introduction. I'd be lucky if I wasn't given the boot after that.

I pressed the pillow closer to my head. Now I understood all the extra work Alice was doing for the recital. At least she was kind enough to keep herself and Rose away while things crashed and burned here.

I didn't even notice everything in the house had quieted until I heard a knock on my bedroom door. I didn't bother to remove the pillow from my head. I was already doomed.

A moment later the edge of the bed sank beside me. I shuddered a bit as the pillow was lifted from my head.

"Tex."

I looked up warily and met my father's eyes. I could barely trace any anger from the man, but if I was being honest with myself it was hardly there to begin with. Irritation and disappointment, sure, but not real anger. It had all belonged to me.

"I'm sorry," I blurted, sitting up. "I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm sorry."

"Easy," Carlisle rubbed his hand up and down my back as I sat next to him. He had changed from his work clothes and looked much more relaxed than when i first saw him. "Calm down. Everything will be okay."

"No, it won't," I moaned. "I broke my promise to you, and Emmett and Edward probably hate me now. You shouldn't have punished them! It was all me."

"Take a breath, Jasper. I see you're ready to talk," Carlisle squeezed the back of my neck. "Maybe we can start at the beginning."

"Everything Edward and Emmett told you was true, " I said. "I never meant to wreck these shoes, that's the honest to God truth. They were only helping me."

Carlisle shook his head. "Don't you understand at all why I'm upset with you?"

Immediately, I felt my temper start to flare.

"See? I told you you wouldn't believe me," I spouted.

"Calm, Tex. Calm down. You seem to be fixated on the wrong thing, son." Carlisle responded. "You think I'm concerned about the ruined shoes. I am not."

I stopped. "Sir?"

"Why didn't you come to me when you found your shoes in the stream?"

"You would have thought I was lying," I said.

Carlisle narrowed his eyes at me. "The truth, Jasper."

"That is the truth," I protested. I didn't know why I was arguing, but it just didn't seem right for him to try and pretend he would have believed me after the fact. "You don't know what you would've done."

"I know I would have given any of my sons the benefit of the doubt if they came to me and said they'd made a sincere mistake." Carlisle looked at me closely and I dropped my eyes to the comforter. "You believe that, don't you?"

"I-I don't know," I murmured.

"Son, shoes can be replaced. I would never get so upset over an accident. It's the lying that I can't stand."

"I know," I mumbled. "I mean-"

" I know you know," Carlisle replied. " Let's not pretend you didn't think I would find out about this. The replacement shoes, the trip downtown, the sick note -this plan was shoddy at best. How did you think we would react if we found out you lied to us? Wouldn't it have been better if you had just come to us in the first place?"

I ran a hand over my face. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know why I did lied. I-"

I didn't know what to say. All these questions were making me uncomfortable. I hadn't thought about them much and I sure didn't want to answer them.

He shook my shoulder. "What's going on, Jasper?"

I shrugged.

A gentled hand tilted my face upwards to meet his. "No, sir, that won't do. Jasper, I thought were were done with this."

I tried to meet his eyes. "Done with what?"

He felt confident in his answer but very sad. "You're testing me."

I shook his hand off of me. "What? No. I'm not testing you."

"Are you sure?" Carlisle asked. "Because something tells me this new school year is making you question your place in this family."

I glared at the wall connecting my room to my brother's. "Did Edward tell you that? I'm fine."

Carlisle gave me a pat on the knee and I moved abruptly to get away from the contact.

"You do not seem fine to me. Hiding from you mother, lying and skipping school, then that display downstairs..."

"I said I was sorry," I stressed.

The man continued on as if he didn't hear me. "Tex, you do know your spot in this family as a son and brother is secured, regardless of how you preform in school, don't you?"

I wanted to say the words, even if I wasn't feeling them at the moment, but there was no mistaking the embarrassment and uncertainty I was feeling. And I knew with the level of stress I was under, Carlisle could feel it too.

"I know you only came to us initially to please Alice," Carlisle continued, "but over time you've become family to the rest of us. Having an... 'accident' at school won't make us love you any less."

"I know it wont," I tried to argue.

"Then explain to me why you're still pushing me to see if I'll keep you around. It's been 12 years, Jasper. Haven't I proven myself faithful to you yet?"

"I don't - I mean, you have I - Well-"

"The truth, Jasper. Tell me what's bothering you."

We sat in silence for nearly a minute. Me picking at the comforter on my bed, Carlisle staring at me waiting for an answer.

"I-I've been worryin' you'd figure since I was good enough to control myself around humans now, I was fine to strike out on my own," I admitted.

Carlisle blinked, taking in this news. "Where did you get an idea like that?"

I shrugged.

"_Jasper_-"

"I don't know, Carlisle! You and Esme kept talking about how much better I was getting with my thirst, and then all this school stuff..."

The older man sighed. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Since the middle of the summer," I sighed. "I kept waiting for ya'll to ask me if I wanted to leave, but you never did."

"So you figured you could speed up the process by breaking rules." Carlisle summed it up.

"I didn't mean to break my promise about the shoes," I brought up again.

"No, but you did mean to lie to us." Carlisle shook his head. "Jasper Eugene Whitlock. Don't you know how proud we are of the gains you've made? Did you really think we would react to your accomplishment by throwing you out? Your commitment to our lifestyle only further proves that you belong here with us. And what about Alice? Did you think we'd throw her out on her ear as well? Or was she supposed to live the rest of eternity without her mate?"

I scratched my head."It all sounds pretty stupid when you say it out loud."

"The wonders what a little open discussion can do for one's anxieties."

I nearly rolled my eyes. "Pa, if I had come to you and told you all that, I would've sounded like a sissy."

He gave me a look. "Let the record show that I'd rather have a heart to heart with my son like a couple of 'sissies' than have him acting out to see if he's still part of the family."

"I didn't know I was doing it."

"Yes, but just to be clear, you _were_ cognizant whilst you were sneaking around this week, correct?"

"Yes, sir," I answered reluctantly. Carlisle sure did know how to make a guy feel foolish.

The older man gave me a nudge. "Don't you know how unhappy we'd be without you?"

"Kinda" I mumbled. "Before I always stuck around the house with you and Esme during the day. Then all of a sudden the two of you wanted me in school."

"Well, I thought you _wanted_ to attend school with Alice," Carlisle radiated confusion, frustration and sympathy in equal parts. The fact that he could even feel sympathy for me after all that happened blew me away. "We were trying to encourage you to try new things."

"I know. And I do like school. It just felt like you-" I shook my head to clear it. "It just felt strange, that's all."

Carlisle gripped my shoulder and I turned to face him again.

"Listen to me well, Tex, I want to make sure you understand. Nothing you say or do, good or bad, is going to change the way we feel about you. You're not going anywhere."

The love he was feeling for me tickled like sunshine against my skin. I knew he was telling me the truth. I felt more relieved than I had in weeks as I absorbed the love and understanding he was giving me.

"Ok."

"Come here." He pulled me to his side for a brief hug. "I love you."

I ducked my head with a shy smile as he released me. "Yeah, I know. You too."

"Good. Because that being said," Pa reached down and removed a slipper from his right foot. "There are still consequences for your actions."

My eyes widened. Suddenly I didn't feel like smiling any more.I had fallen right into that honey trap. Feel better, Jasper? Good, because I'm going to kill you now.

He turned to face me. "In this house, lying and deciet will get your bottom blistered. But you knew that, didn't you?"

"Yessir," I whispered.

"Not to mention skipping class," Pa added, nudging me to stand up

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry." I stood next to his knees, staring at the leather soled instrument of torture. Emmett and Edward had only gotten his hand. I knew I was going to get it the worst.

"I'm going for a little poetic justice," Pa mentioned sardonically.

"Not funny," I grumbled.

"No," he agreed. "deceiving your parents is never funny. Take your pants down."

Aw, shoot.

I fumbled with the button to my jeans, but the zipper came down easily. Pushing my pants to my knees, I let Carlisle grab my elbow so he could lower me over his lap.

I laid my head down on one side of the bed, wincing when I felt my drawers go south.

"Pa," I whined.

"Jasper," My father tapped my behind. "Do you understand that you're not being punished for the ruined shoes?"

"Yes, sir," I squeezed my eyes shut. " 'M getting a licking 'cause I tried to hide it, and for lying and skipping class. But I'm still awful sorry about breaking that promise too."

"I know, son," was all he said before snapping the slipper down hard.

Yikes! I hissed loudly. Man, that stung!

I was used to Pa's hand. I got the majority of my lickings for fighting with my brothers or letting my temper get a hold of me. The slipper was new and it was nothing to be played with.

"We do not," Pa lectured as he swung, "lie to each other in this household. Do you understand me, Jasper?"

"Yessir," I whimpered, clutching the bedspread as tightly as I dared.

"It will never be okay for you to try and deceive your mother and I."

I lost count of the number of licks that were raining down. All I knew was that I wanted it to stop. NOW.

"Your behavior was way out of line this week. I know you know better."

"OW! Ugh." 'Tears' dripped down my cheeks and splotched the comforter. "Pa, that hurts!"

"It's going to hurt a lot worse if I ever catch you lying or skipping school again."

I heard the slipper drop to the floor, but any thoughts of a reprieve were dashed when Carlisle picked things back up with his hand. Was this ever going to end?

I could take pain from cruel leaders or strangers, but coming from Pa everything hurt a whole lot worse.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I won't. Not ever," I croaked.

"You'd better not," Carlisle started in on the tops of my thighs. I tried to squirm away, but the arm he put around my waist kept me tethered.

"I'm disappointed that you couldn't trust me with how you were feeling. And I'm disappointing that you felt you had to lie to me to figure out if I was still willing to be your father. I love you, Jasper. Commit this to memory, boy. I will never turn you away. The only thing that testing me is going to get you is a sore backside. Is that clear?"

The pain in my hide, the remorse we were both feeling and my father's words sent me over the edge.

Carlisle finished up with three scorching smacks to the back of my legs before hiking my shorts back up. A cool hand rubbed my back as I cried in earnest.

Sooner than I expected I was tilted back on my feet.

"Pull your pants up, son," my father ordered gently. "That's enough tears now."

I did as he said, still sniffling.

I tried to pull myself together as best as I could, but as soon as I got buttoned, Carlisle stood and pulled me into another hug.

I wanted to tell him to let me go, that he was treating me like a child, but I knew he'd just say that I was _his_ child. There was no choice but to let him hug me.

I rested my head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent and his feelings of love and forgiveness. I absorbed them like they were my own and pretty soon all the guilt and misery inside of me began to wash away.

The funny thing was, as scared as I felt about being kicked out, I always knew deep down that this was the worst I was ever gonna get from Carlisle Cullen. Maybe my stupid tail just need a reminder of it.

He kissed the side of my head. "See, Tex? You belong right here."


	8. At the End of the Day

**A/N: **Here lies the end of this tale, with the exception of an epilogue if I feel so inclined. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I certainly enjoyed writing it. And be sure to check out my next story, Eddie B Goode. Edward and Co. are caught smack dab in the middle of that awful teenage rock rebellion of the 1950s. It's sure to be a good time. Okay, commercial over. Enjoy the last chapter of A Shoe Story. Oh, and **Warning**: Edward does something kind of gross in this chapter, just giving your a heads up.

**At the End of the Day (Edward)**

My mother stood in front of me, a wall of righteous fury. My father's punishment had done nothing to sway her from the vendetta she had planned against me.

Me. Her baby. Her favorite. Or had she forgotten?

I didn't even get an hour to sulk and recuperate before she dragged me down to the living room. The woman hadn't simmered down a bit.

Looking uneasily at her and the package in her hand, I reached back to rub at my behind.

Hadn't I been punished enough?

"You lied to me, Edward," she said as she pulled the plastic wrapping off the small box. I groaned.

"Mother, please." I tried. "I'm sorry. I _said_ I was sorry. Dad already beat all the mischief out of me."

Usually any mention of pain post-spanking was enough to melt Esme's heart strings. In this case, she was unaffected. I didn't just lie, I lied to _her_. Making Esme feel personally disrespected was a one way ticket to slow and painful death.

I gave her the saddest, most woebegone expression I could manage, knowing she thought it was adorable when I pouted. There was no shame in pulling out all the stops when you were desperate.

"Oh no, Edward Anthony." She shook her head, pulling one thin stick out of the pack." Those puppy dog eyes aren't going to get you out of this one."

She held my punishment out to me. I shuddered.

It was root beer flavored. God, help me.

When our family was just beginning Esme used to wash our mouths with soap whenever we lied or said something flip. It had minimal effects. After sucking down herbivore blood for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the sharp taste of Ivory Soap wasn't really all the bad.

Rosalie and I were becoming masters in the art of cursing each other out, and of course when Emmett came along it only got worse. No matter how many times Esme dragged us to the bathroom sink, we were undeterred.

She ran through every brand of soap she could think of before she started bringing home packs of Double Bubble chewing gum.

Our venom altered taste buds were completely unprepared for sugar, cola and pink dye. The worst part of it all was how convenient the punishment was. Esme kept at least two packs of gum in her purse at all times. If one us started playing up outside of the house, all she had to do was sweetly offer us a piece and we'd straighten right up.

Emmett and I threw away any gum we found lying around but the stuff cost pennies.

Our mother was devious.

I took the stick, making a face at the smell of it. With one last pleading look at my executioner, I unwrapped the gum and stuck it in my mouth.

Argh! It tasted like hot garbage!

"Chew," my mother demanded.

I worked my jaw, trying not to gag as the venom in my mouth became sugary syrup.

"Now, you sit here," Esme pushed me down onto the couch. "And think about what you've done."

As soon as she was out of eye sight, I flipped onto my stomach. We heal fast, but I was still a little sore from earlier. No way was I taking the gum out of my mouth. If Esme didn't hear me chewing, she'd make me finish the whole pack. I'd seen her do it to Emmett enough times to know she wasn't bluffing.

The most a man could do was chew quickly and hope the flavor ran out before she called times up.

I was glad I made the right decision when Esme came back not even 30 seconds later, Jasper in toe.

She gave me a cursory glance to make sure I was still unhappy, and settled Jasper at the other end of the couch. Much more gently than she did me, I might add.

I glared as she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and asked if he was comfortable. She was only babying him because he got whacked with the slipper. That was nothing! Esme forgets how strict Carlisle used to be. Back when it was just the three of us, the man used to keep a strap nailed to the living room wall as a reminder for me to behave. And used it too.

He eventually lost it in between moves, or maybe I threw it over a bridge en route. Let's say I couldn't remember.

The point was, if Jasper was getting a blanket, we all should have gotten blankets.

"Mom, can I spit this out yet?" I whined at her.

"Is it still sweet?" She asked, hand on her hip.

I thought about telling her no, but there was no way I'd risk having to chew ten pieces of that stuff. I let my forehead drop onto a couch pillow. Leave it to Esme to buy gum that was long lasting.

She went to check on Emmett, but not before silently ordering me to stay put. I guess she was trying to pull us all into the living room to spend time together as a family. Our mother was all about reconciliation after punishment.

It was all fine and dandy to her that everyone watch television while my mouth slowly deteriorated.

"Hey, Edward?" Jasper's voice was quiet.

I didn't stop chewing. "What?"

"Sorry I got you in so much trouble."

He was thinking I was mad at him for everything that happened. I wasn't truly - more annoyed that he wasn't in as much trouble as me.

"Don't worry about it." I moved the gum with my tongue to the side of my mouth. "Do you know how many times I've gotten Emmett tanned? On purpose? This is what brothers do."

I moved down a bit so Jasper could lie on his side. He had to be tender still, even though he didn't look it.

"Yeah, but I'm still sorry about it." He ducked his head. "I shouldn't have left you guys to explain things. I understand if you think I'm a real scuzz now."

Boy, they said I was dramatic.

Looking over my shoulder, I said lowly, "Do you really want to make it up to me?"

Japser nodded. "Yeah."

With a smirk I pulled the wad of gum out of my mouth, holding the small pink ball out to him between two fingers. "Your turn."

To my surprise and disgust, he actually took it. If I had tried that with Emmett, he would've socked me in the shoulder. This guy had one guilty conscious.

Jasper grimaced as he chewed. "Are we even now?"

"Yup," I relaxed back into the couch. As long as Esme didn't know the chewing wasn't coming from me we were golden.

"I wonder if they'll still let us go to the movies tomorrow," Jasper said lightly.

"Probably, if we look real sorry today," I stated. "Carlisle's already over it, and Esme's thinking about buying you shoes that are water proof."

"Oh." Jasper quieted for a moment. "Edward? Did you tell Pa that I was feeling bugged about school and stuff?"

"No," I said, surprised.

He eyed me suspiciously and lowered his voice. "You'd better not be lyin' or I'll spit this gum on the rug."

"I didn't, Jasper, honest to God." I held my hand to my chest.

I really didn't. I tried to leave people's _personal _thoughts alone unless I absolutely had to tell or could get something out of it. More than likely Dad would smack _me_ upside the head for snooping in the first place.

"What was your problem anyway?" I asked.

_I thought Pa might want me to leave, now that I got my thirst under control_, Jasper told me. _I guess I was trying to see if he'd really let me stay._

"That's stupid," I told him plainly. "Me and Emmett and Rosalie all have better control than you and Carlisle lets us live here."

"Yeah, but he sired y'all," Jasper pointed out. "You're his real kids."

I winced at the disgusting noises he was making chewing with his mouth open.

"Carlisle doesn't see it like that," I said. "Whenever he thinks about his family, your name always comes up with me and Em's. Besides, he also sired Esme and he doesn't think of _her_ as a daughter."

Jasper conceded the point. "Ok."

I thought of something. "You know, I kinda did the same thing to Carlisle when Esme first came to live with us."

My brother frowned. "Really? Why?"

"Because I thought he loved Esme more than me."

Jasper sat up. "That's kind of weird, Edward."

I made a face. "It wasn't like that. She was more like my sister back then. Anyway, I was mad at him for messing up our family so I took it out on Esme. A lot. I wanted to see if Dad would choose me over her."

"What did he do?" Jasper asked.

"Same thing he did to you," I laughed. "Sat me down, told me he loved me and that I would always be his son and then took the skin off my hide."

He must have felt my sincerity because he relaxed a bit. "Hmmm. Wonder how he figured it out."

I stroked my chin and pretended to be in deep thought. "Maybe it's because he's our dad and it's his job to know... Or _may_-be it was because you were shrieking like a little girl in our living room two hours ago."

Jasper tossed a throw pillow at me. "Says you! You were the one shrieking when Pa came up to your room. And he only used his hand on you."

"Let me tell you something-" Hearing footsteps, I immediately stopped our conversation. "She's coming, give me back the gum," I hissed.

I popped it in my mouth just as Esme and Emmettt walked through the threshold.

It was warm and sticky, but pretty much devoid of all flavor.

"Alright, Edward," mother said. "You can go spit."

I ran for the trashcan. When I came back, Emmett had taken my spot on the couch and Esme was occupying the love seat. I went for the empty arm chair and noticed a blanket had been placed on it's cushion.

I looked over at my mother.

_Don't do it again, _she scolded lightly.

I gave her one of my innocent grins and wrapped the blanket around myself.

"Where's the clicker?" Emmett asked, looking around.

Carlisle joined us a few minutes later and we all settled down to watch _As the World Turns_, waiting for the girls to get home.

I knew it was going to sound corny coming from me, but I was glad my story made Jasper feel better. We weren't a perfect family, but we never gave up on each other. Jasper couldn't leave us, even if he was running barefoot. Believe me, I've tried.


End file.
